The Bloorview Research Institute (BRI) is pleased to co-host a community event with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH). As part of this event, a panel discussion titled “advancing health equity through learning health systems: a research perspective” will take place.

The panel will feature members from the BRI, the IHDCYH Institute Advisory Board, and the IHDCYH Youth Advisory Council. Please see panelist and moderator bios below.

In-person seating is limited. Register today to secure your spot. The panel will also be live-streamed; however, online participants will not be able to engage in the discussion.

Registration deadline: March 31, 2025 [RSVP is mandatory]

Click here to register.

Light refreshments and snacks will be served before and after the panel discussion.

Panel

Advancing health equity through learning health systems: a research perspective

Panel description

This panel will explore the role of learning health systems (LHS) in advancing health equity through research-driven approaches to continuous improvement and innovation. Panelists will discuss how data can be leveraged to promote equitable outcomes, the challenges and opportunities in integrating health equity within LHS frameworks, and the role of partnerships and patient engagement in co-designing more inclusive research and healthcare systems. The discussion will also examine how lessons from different LHS contexts can be mobilized globally, along with insights from real-world applications of LHS principles in diverse healthcare and research environments.

Welcome and opening remarks

• Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, vice president of research and director of the Bloorview Research Institute
• Dr. Christine Chambers, scientific director, CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Panelists

Dr. Azadeh Kushki

Senior scientist and associate chief of data science, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Associate professor, Institute of Biomaterial and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto

Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Neurodiversity and Personalized Health

Dr. Azadeh Kushki is a senior scientist and associate chief of data science at the Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. She is also a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Neurodiversity and Personalized Health, an associate professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and a senior scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute.

She leads the Neurodiversity and Personalized Health Lab, a highly translational research program focused on using data science to advance equity-driven personalized health for children with neurodevelopmental differences and disabilities.

Dr. Sarah Munce

Implementation scientist, Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Assistant professor (status), Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto

Dr. Sarah Munce is an implementation scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. She is also an assistant professor (status) at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), with a cross-appointment in the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute (RSI) at the University of Toronto.

She is one of the graduate coordinators at RSI and co-instructor for the Mixed Methods in Health Services Research course at IHPME. She is the former membership chair of the Mixed Methods International Research Association and the current editor-in-chief of JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies.

Dr. Munce is a former AMS Healthcare Fellow in Compassion and Artificial Intelligence. Her research has been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Kids Brain Health Network, Brain Canada Foundation and the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation.

Dr. Bukola (Oladunni) Salami (IHDCYH Institute Advisory Board member)

Professor and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized Peoples' Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary

Dr. Bukola Salami is a registered nurse, a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized People’s Health, and a full professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary.

Her research program focuses on the well-being of Black, immigrant and racialized people. She has led more than 90 funded studies, totalling over $230 million. She recently received a $2.5-million SSHRC Partnership Grant titled Transforming the Lives of Black Children and Youth in Canada.

She founded and leads the African Child and Youth Migration Network, a collaboration of 42 scholars from four continents. In 2020, she established the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, the first university-based, fully interdisciplinary mentorship program for Black youth in Western Canada. This initiative empowers Black high school students to meaningfully contribute to Canadian society.

Dr. Padmaja Subbarao (IHDCYH Institute Advisory Board member)

Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) Pediatric Asthma and Lung Health & professor of paediatrics, physiology and Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Associate chief, clinical research, and co-lead, Precision Health Initiative, Hospital for Sick Children
Director, CHILD Study

Dr. Padmaja Subbarao is a clinician-scientist in the Division of Respirology at The Hospital for Sick Children and holds a Canada Research Chair Tier 1 Chair in Pediatric Asthma and Lung Health at the University of Toronto.

An international leader in lung function and asthma, she has co-authored clinical practice guidelines and position statements. She was appointed co-lead of the Precision Child Health Initiative in 2020 and associate chief of clinical research at SickKids in 2021.

In these roles, she is helping transform SickKids into a learning health system. This shift integrates biological, environmental and patient-reported data, harnessing emerging discoveries to improve prediction, diagnosis and treatment in paediatric healthcare.

Moderators

Dr. Kristin Connor (IHDCYH Institute Advisory Board vice-chair)

Associate professor, developmental origins of health and disease, Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University

Dr. Kristin Connor is an associate professor of developmental origins of health and disease in the Department of Health Sciences at Carleton University.

She leads a transdisciplinary and translational research program (connorlab.ca) focused on improving maternal, fetal and child health. Her work examines maternal health and early-life development, identifying ways to modify these states to enhance lifelong resilience and reduce disease risk.

Her team investigates novel methods to predict individuals at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, poor development and chronic disease, as well as interventions to optimize maternal and child health. Her research also explores ways to bridge the gap between evidence and practice through improved implementation strategies and knowledge mobilization.

Henry Stewart (IHDCYH Youth Advisory Council member)

Henry Stewart is a Grade 12 student at Rundle College in Calgary, Alta. Born as a micro-preemie twin with an early diagnosis of cerebral palsy, he is passionate about advocating for the disability community.

Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility fuel his desire to connect with and support others. He serves on multiple youth advisory councils at municipal and provincial levels and is honoured to work alongside peers on the IHDCYH Youth Advisory Council.

By engaging members of equity-deserving groups and drawing on his lived experience and knowledge of biomedical engineering, Henry strives to create meaningful change in both physical and mental healthcare.

Contact information

For questions, please contact:

• Priyanka Shah at pshah@hollandbloorview.ca
• Joanne Wincentak at joanne.wincentak@cihr-irsc.gc.ca